Following Session 4 was a 2 and a half day break in which Josh Heymans came to visit us. He drove 6 hours from Niagara Falls, Ontario and camped at a site down the street from Double H, just to hang out with Josh and I.
It felt like good old times sitting in the backseat listening to the infamous ‘Josh Squared’ banter about theology with Jason Upton singing calmly in the back ground.
We really only had 1 full day together but we did a lot. We went shopping and bought some new sandals and some groceries, had lunch at ‘Duffy’s Tavern’, waded at the beach, had a campfire back at the campsite while eating flax seed chocolate chip cookies, and then we went mini putting at Goony Golf.
Josh and I said bye to our dear friend this morning, but we'll surely see him again in the fall-hopefully we'll go to TACF!!!
Being in the 'Fox Cabin' with up to 15 young teenage girls can mean many things. It can mean waiting 35 minutes in the morning for a break- through in hair style satisfaction to take place. It can mean many empty boxes of poptarts followed by lots of dancing during rest time. And everyone knows that being with the 'foxy ladies' can also mean the sassiness, cattiness and the bad attitudes that sometimes come with being a 13 year old girl. This is all the more reason to love, listen and hold onto the overflowing compassion which is the very nature of Jesus.
As people, I think it is very difficult for us to love unconditionally. The kids who are fun and cooperative and love camp, they are enjoyable to spend time with and they are easy to get attached to and love-because they are loveable. But what about the children who aren’t loveable? I’m talking about the kids who are challenging your authority from day one, and who don’t want to participate in anything. This week there were no campers like this in the fox cabin, but these types of kids come every week.
They are difficult to be around and they make you want to lash out and put conditions on your love. We are people and it is our nature to try to love, and it is also our nature to take back that love in the face of difficulty.
I believe that we can only cultivate this unending, unfailing,all-hoping unconditional love from God who is the very source of love. The love that we try to produce has made so much difference in the world and in the hearts of people, but it does have limits. God’s love is without restrain and without limits. I feel so encouraged when in the midst of those frustrating situations I can draw from His love. As Christians, we are to pour out His love to everyone, especially the unloveable.It is His love that has taken over our hearts and is given to us so that we may be loved and freely love. As Christians, we should be seeking the unloveable, the unwanted and the forgotten people because when we were against God-He loved us even then. No one deserves God’s love and yet He loves us. Woe to us who love ourselves more than we love the undesirable people who God is commanding us to go to, saying ‘when you care for them, it is like you are caring for Me.” The best thing we could do with our lives is to give it away to others. Although it will be difficult He will refresh us every morning and strenghten us with His love.
It was my last week as a counselor for the 15-16 year old girls in the Bear Cabin. This was definitely the week that has topped off the summer because it was so much fun. The shannanigans were high and the 'bathroom talk' was even higher, which makes everyone feel a little more open and cozy. We had nine campers who really bonded. Some highlights from the week were baking short bread cookies. The recipes says it's prep time is 10 minutes, but we took nearly 2 hours to make the batter. I guess that's what happens when everyone takes turns stirring and pouring sugar, combined with just the general kind of fooling around and funniness that these girls were all about. We also created very colourful icing using icing sugar, water and food coloring. The girls decorated their own cookies and gave some away to anyone of their choice at camp.
The 2 hour rest time on the last day of the session was the busiest and most hilarious one I've ever experienced as me and a fellow counselor pushed the girls to pack, help make the wishboat, help write an article for the camp newsletter, and they also had a great poetry session with a dedicated volunteer. These were definitely my kind of girls with a thrift store find in one hand, and 12 year old Goosebumps book in the other.This session was very 'sisterhood of the traveling pants'.
In a few days I will begin session 4 in the Fox Cabin which is 13-14 year old girls. It will no doubt be lots of fun and many more coats of nail polish.
('I have decided to follow Jesus'-hymn by Sadhu Sundar Singh)
Oh, God, may You never be shoved to the side of our lives. May talking to You never be a last resort for a difficulty we’re facing. I pray for an intimacy with You which is better than praises and the riches of this world. I pray that the material things, the money and the places we go would all be last place, to the relief and joy of knowing that You love us and feeling that love every moment.
Distractions are everywhere and each one is an opportunity to keep choosing You. Where else could we go? We have met You and we realize that we’re not as strong as we think and not nearly as good as we think. But that isn’t the point of your message: you are not a waving finger or an angry brow.
You are our strength. You are our righteousness. You love us as we are. Though we have ignored, insulted, ran-You still love us.We are able to love, because You have given Your love to us, and you are showing us a perfect love that only You possess. This love is for the world. We do not love this world for the things in it, but we love the people because they belong to You.
The cross before me. Not the affection of people. Not our own ambitions and vision. Not our own desires and comforts. Not riches. Not the temporary pleasures that we know now.
The world behind me. Although I may go alone, still I will follow Him because I am in love.
We made it out of a session 1 alive and the kids had an awesome week. The barn staff and I braved the first small animal fashion show of the summer-and of our lives! I was surprised by the attendance of boys at the fashion show, especially the 14 year old guys from Josh's Eagle cabin. The kids drew the name of an animal to dress up and then they were given material to colour and decorate. We used hair clips to adorn the animals with their outfits. I would be lying if I said that all that animals appreciated this as much as the kids did. Zoey the large grey rex rabbit kept pulling off her cape, and so her modeling career was put to a quick end as I escorted her back to her cage. The guinea pigs could care less as they were wrapped in bright pink tube dresses and bandannas. Overall, the fashion show was pretty successful and at the end of 'free choice' the kids got to clip the outfits they made on their animal's cage. Next session, we'll do the fashion show again along with a birthday party. We'll see how it all goes!
Josh and I are adjusting to the run around lifestyle of camp, although we can't help but plan as much as we can for what is coming next for us in the fall.
God continues to be so incredibly good. Any temporary fun that we can create at camp is absolutely tiny compared to His love that is eternal and His longing for His children to come to Him and spend eternity with Him. We can do everything possible to make a child’s life more enjoyable by challenging them with new experiences, helping to instill confidence and independence, and giving them love but we cannot give children the perfect love, joy and peace that God gives, and that their heart so aches for. God has given us all the authority and free reign to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world to go to the hurting, the weak and the forgotten proclaiming that God loves them and is not angry with them. He has given us His spirit to be able to speak words of life to the spiritually dead. Therefore, we serve with our motivation and every intention devoted to the proclamation of the gospel and our actions being an expression of God’s uncontainable love. It is our nature.
RSS Feed